


Stomaching It

by Helenajr



Category: One Piece
Genre: Child Abandonment, Dragon's mother, Dysfuntional Father & Son Relationship (to be exact), F/M, Father-Son Relationship, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Sex, Luffy's mother - Freeform, Minor Character Death, Referenced Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:14:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26124088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Helenajr/pseuds/Helenajr
Summary: After Luffy's mother's death, Garp comes to talk with his son.
Relationships: Monkey D. Dragon & Monkey D. Garp, Monkey D. Dragon/Original Character(s), Monkey D. Garp/Original Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	Stomaching It

Dead leaves crunched beneath his boots against the gravel as he made the way up the gently sloping hill. Chill of dusk hung in the air and he pulled his coat more over his shoulders. As he pulled, his knuckles slowly turned white, his hands shaking. The way up was familiar by now, but there was a bad taste in his mouth. There had been, ever since he’d found both of them passed out from blood loss and he had had to watch his son barely hold onto life on the infirmary bed.

He didn’t understand any of it.

Dragon hadn’t been furiously yelling at him the moment he recovered. He’d done so after his mother’s death. Dragon had always had a temper even as a baby. The lack of it now was disturbing. Garp felt like his son was moving out of his reach where he couldn’t help him.

He wondered how they had got here.

He had fallen in love with a criminal. Splendid, amazing woman with a wit to conquer every adversary. Violet hair as far as the eye can see. It hadn’t been love at first sight, but they had been drawn to each other, inexplicably. Out of their union had come forth their son. It hadn’t been romantic in the slightest. They had their differences, and Garp suspected Zamyra had never given up her criminal lifestyle, despite what she’d sworn. Dragon had always found new ways to surprise him whenever they trained, so he was pretty sure she had been giving him tips. He never brought it up with her. They had enough problems to begin with.

It was true he had rarely been home when Dragon was growing up. Marine life was like that. You were on duty for long months, in Garp’s case near a year, and then on vacation for a week or two and repeat. That wasn’t enough time to get to know your child and he knew that. Garp knew that. But he tried to teach him the values he knew and keep him on the right side of law. He trained him, because he wanted him to be able to defend himself. Dragon was reluctant, but picked up many of his skills.

Whenever he had been home Zamyra had acted distant. He hadn’t blamed her but always seemed to find ways to irritate her. They argued, then found themselves in bed. It hadn’t been sane in the slightest. But they managed to make it work, and Garp at the very least had loved her.

She died abruptly. He hadn’t had enough time to reach East Blue in time. He arrived days after the funeral to find a distraught and furious Dragon. They’d been outside when it happened. It was then that he knew what Zamyra had always told him about Dragon was true. He hadn’t wanted to believe it. But then he witnessed it with his own eyes and he knew. He knew the world would hear about him.

Dragon was cold and hostile towards him afterwards. It got better along the years but Dragon never forgave him to this day. Then one day Dragon hadn’t been in the village, on the island. He’d left to see the world, the town’s people said. There were long years they didn’t see or hear anything about each other. It had been anxious, waiting like that.

He supposed that’s where it went wrong. He failed to provide Dragon support. He failed as a father, and Dragon went astray. He had heard disturbing rumours, and he dearly hoped Dragon was not involved.

He found him on the porch, leaning against the railing. A mug sat beside his arm abandoned. He greeted him as he approached and got up the short stairs, but it seemed Dragon was in his thoughts again, staring into nothingness in front of him.

Garp glanced towards the door.

“Is he asleep?” He asked. He received a mere nod as response, but it was better than what he had managed to get out of him while still in the infirmary. Dragon had been in shock then, and afterwards screamed his lungs out. In the following weeks Garp recognized it as rage.

Now looking at him, he saw the grief. How was he holding it all in? He was so still, solemn.

Dragon’s voice was level as he spoke.

“I’ve a favour to ask you. I know I haven’t been a model son, but you owe me this much because you haven’t been a model father either. I’m going to leave.” He still wasn’t looking at him, eyes firmly locked onto whatever he saw in the movement of the trees. “You cannot ask me why or where I’m going for I cannot tell you out of respect for your duties. From here on out we’re enemies.” 

Garp frowned and Dragon finally looked at him. “Do not give me that face.” He continued. “You knew this was coming for years. My request is this. Take care of Luffy. Take care of him better than you took care of me. You will be here, on this island, by his side, every vacation and free day you can muster. And you will not utter a word of me to him. It is to protect him, if you must know.”

“Dragon-”

“Shut up and listen for once in your life. You will make sure none of the villagers rat him out no matter what happens. Especially Woop Slap. They respect you, they’ll listen to you. I trust you but I don’t trust them. So you will give me your word. And know that no amount of soldiers or gods or floods will keep me from you if I find out something has happened to Luffy.”

“Dragon, no. What the hell are you saying? You’re the one who should be by his side- take him with you if you so need to leave.”

“I cannot.”

“Why the fuck not?”

Dragon grit his teeth and got off the railing and approached him in two long strides, suddenly up in his personal space. He grabbed his collar and yanked him down a notch. 

“Because,” his hazel eyes were dark and dangerous and Garp knew this was not the man he used to know. “I am protecting him by staying away. You hear that? I’m leaving tomorrow morning and I’m leaving him to make sure what happened to her doesn’t happen to him. And you will keep your mouth shut about it.”

Garp couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Dragon let go of him and took a step back, and Garp looked at him again. Grief. Profound and fuming. His heart sank.

“Do you see now?” Dragon’s voice gained a tint of ill. Then it received authority Garp had never heard him use. “Swear it.”

His throat felt raspy. “I swear.”

He was afraid again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Come say hi on Tumblr!


End file.
